NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Engagement Campaign

ThoughtMatter worked with New-York Historical Society to develop a campaign for the reopening of their 4th floor, a key part being the new Center for Women’s History. The work aims to not only promote the new space, but to attract new, younger audiences and start to shift the brand perception to one that is more relevant, bridging the past to present.

FOR THE LOVE OF HISTORY

The 4th floor will contain the new Center for Women’s History, a reimagined Tiffany lamp gallery and curated exhibits from the permanent collection. We needed a way to connect this content, both emotionally and through the presentation of the content.

We developed the campaign position For the Love of History to capture the true spirit of the institution, and highlight the relevance of the 4th floor content to timely women’s issues and the surge of interest in history’s relevance to current events.

Unlike New-York Historical Society’s conventional approach, we did not lead with announcing the 4th floor reopening, but instead with what visitors would experience. Messaging was developed to connect the past to the present. The 4 was used as a bold visual element to tie the campaign together. In order to reach both existing and new audiences, campaign placements were tailored for awareness and perception. The museum’s core audience was targeted with a more straightforward announcement of the 4th floor, while new audiences were presented messaging about experiencing history or timely topics such as women’s issues.

New-York Historical Society is breaking new ground, taking a provocative and unconventional approach to connect us all with our history. This campaign is a first step in redefining "society" and making history relevant, accessible and fun.